Just Between Us #Wattys2019

NEW YEAR'S EVE

DECEMBER THIRTY-FIRST

Rule Number One for surviving New Year's Eve:

Forget eye-contact. The party will be full of people, so avoid long conversations that can lead to possible murder-suicides or worse, questions. Always be on the run; smile and excuse yourself from conversations by pretending you have just spotted "the person you've been looking for" across the room.

Everest spotted Rocky and Cleo as soon as she stepped into the house party. She walked towards them with a beautiful smile, framed by a velvet red lipstick that whitened her teeth even more.

Cleo looked at Everest from head to toe, with an open mouth, "Everest, you look stunning!" She complimented.

Everest actually believed Cleo's words at that time; she felt beautiful. "Thank you." She said. Everest was wearing a long red dress with a long tear on her left leg; demonstrating her long limb and gorgeous pointy Jimmy Choos. She decorated her neck with a thin and delicate golden strap that disappeared into her cleavage. Her hair was straight and sleek, and she felt like a fish out of water at a party where she found out served a keg stand of beer instead of champaign.

Cleo wore a little black dress, big silver hoop earrings, and made her hair slightly wavy. Her hair, now so short it barely passed her chin in length, was illuminated with blue highlights that were delicate and subtle.

Rocky wore... whatever, he looked good as usual.

Suddenly, Everest looked over her shoulder, following the sound of the new-comer's footsteps, only to see Arcadia and Peregrine walking into the room, holding hands.

Everest looked back at Cleo and Rocky with her eyes widened, "I have to go." She said.

She turned around and looked directly at Arcadia, locking eyes, "Arcadia!" She said, a couple steps away from her and her date.

"Everest! How are you?" Arcadia asked.

Everest started taking steps backward, in the opposite direction, and shouted over the crowd of futile conversations and obnoxious laughter, "I'm great! I have to go!" She pointed at a random space in the living room and fled towards it, where she coincidently found Harvey dancing whilst holding a red cup containing *insert mystery drink*.

"Harley. Thank God." Everest whispered to her friend, "Peregrine is here."

"What did you do?" Harley asked.

"Completely ignored him." Everest looked around the room to check for signs of his presence.

The song changed, and Harley's drunken focus went with it as she neglected Everest's dilemma and threw her hands up in the air as the song commanded.

Everest looked around, trying to think of her next move. The bathroom sounded like her safest choice.

"Looking for me?" Peregrine asked, sneaking up from behind her.

Everest looked into his eyes with the urge to improvise an escape.

But then she remembered,

Rule Number Two:

Always keep a red cup in your hands. This rule has nothing to do with keeping you hydrated; try to see the cup as a prop: Look like you fit in on tagged Facebook pictures, spill it on the floor if you need an excuse to flee to the kitchen/bathroom/nearest taxi, throw it at someone's cute New Year's outfit if they're bothering you or even as strategy to get that cute boy to notice you by spilling it on him "accidentally", or, my personal favorite,